Towards a Circular Product (Re)Design Methodology: Proposition of the Unlinear Method to Foster Circularity

Abstract

Works on garment and shoe dismantlement and recycling have highlighted the complexity of this kind product and the difficulty to find a recycling channel for each material they are made of. The way they are designed perturbate the recycling process at products end of life. This paper examines these product complexities and proposes Unlinear methodology to help product design teams to redesign a more circular products which materials can be recovered at the end of their life. This method is based on a standardized product representation tool where each component product is made of is represented with its material and the function it ensures.

Keywords

• circularity
• design for recycling
• material recovery
• product dismantling